T-Mobile USA unwraps holiday promotions

T-Mobile USA Inc. (DTEGY) laid its cards on the table for the holiday selling season unveiling some promotional modifications to its Even More contract plans.
The new offerings include a single-line plan providing 1,500 anytime calling minutes, unlimited on-network and night and weekend calling, unlimited messaging and unlimited mobile Internet access for $80 per month. For multi-lines, the carrier is offering 3,000 anytime calling minutes with the same unlimited features for $150 per month for two lines.
Both plans are set to be available Nov. 14. They do require two-year contracts, but also provide for a full device subsidy. The contract focus of the promotions is not surprising as the carrier continued to bleed postpaid subscribers during the recently completed third quarter.
T-Mobile USA’s current individual plans provide 1,000 anytime calling minutes and the same unlimited features for $90 per month with a two-year contract, while its multi-line plans are priced at $180 for 3,000 anytime calling minutes and the same unlimited features.
The new plans follow recent changes by Verizon Wireless, U.S. Cellular Corp. and Alltel Wireless that seem to indicate that carriers are ramping up their holiday promotions ahead of the all-important shopping season.
In addition to the promotional plans, T-Mobile USA also said it will begin offering its previously announced tiered data, tethering and Wi-Fi sharing plans on Nov. 14.